KR20150129972A - Method for updating of firmware in beacon apparatus, beacon apparatus and system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an updating method of a firmware in a beacon apparatus. More specifically, as the beacon apparatus judges whether an update of a firmware program is needed or not and judges that the update is needed, the updating method stops an output of a beacon signal which is currently being outputted, and can update the firmware program. To this end, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the beacon apparatus comprises: a communications portion which outputs the beacon signal within a certain radius, and transmits and receives information with a service apparatus; and a control portion which inquires and receives a firmware program version to the service apparatus through the communications portion at a certain periodical unit, compares the received firmware program version with an installed firmware program version, stops an output of the beacon signal which is being outputted within the certain radius by controlling the communications portion if different, requests a firmware program update to the service apparatus through the communications portion, and controls the received firmware program to be installed when the firmware program is received from the service apparatus through the communications portion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a beacon firmware update method, a beacon device using the beacon firmware update method,

The present invention relates to a firmware update method in a beacon device, and more particularly, to a beacon device in which a beacon device determines whether an update of a firmware program is required, stops transmission of a currently transmitted beacon signal, A beacon firmware update method capable of updating a program, a beacon device using the beacon firmware update method, and a system.

The contents described in this section merely provide background information on the present embodiment and do not constitute the prior art.

The beacon device is installed in various places according to the purpose of the beacon, and provides the designated service to the user terminal. In other words, the beacon device transmits a beacon signal within a certain radius according to the Bluetooth protocol method, and is connected to the terminal of the user who scanned the beacon signal, and provides various information to the terminal of the user, for example, The user terminal provides information such as product advertisement, discount coupon, etc., or confirms the location of the user in the store to provide the location based service.

The program included in such a beacon device may be changed in function according to the requirements of the service. However, in order to update a program included in the existing beacon apparatus, an administrator managing the beacon apparatus moves directly to a place where the beacon apparatus is installed, and performs an update function by connecting the beacon apparatus and the computer.

This increases the number of beacon devices, and thus requires a large amount of time and cost for updating the beacon device.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2007-0094078, published on September 20, 2007 (name: a method for automatically updating a program of a Bluetooth device)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. In particular, when a beacon device determines that an update of a firmware program is required and stops the transmission of a currently transmitted beacon signal, A beacon firmware update method capable of updating a beacon firmware, and a beacon device and a system using the same.

However, the object of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beacon device including a communication unit for transmitting a beacon signal within a predetermined radius and transmitting and receiving information to and from a service device; And transmits the beacon signal to the service device via the communication unit in a predetermined period. When the received firmware program version is compared with the installed firmware program version, And a controller for requesting the service device to update the firmware program through the communication unit and controlling the received firmware program to be installed when the firmware program is received from the service device through the communication unit.

Here, the communication unit may include a first communication module that transmits a beacon signal within a predetermined radius, and transmits / receives information to / from one or more connected terminals by scanning the transmitted beacon signal; And a second communication module for transmitting and receiving information to and from the service device.

At this time, when the service is being provided to one or more terminals via the communication unit, the controller inquires the firmware program version to a service device at a predetermined period or more and receives the firmware program version. Otherwise, the firmware program version is inquired to the service device .

In addition, if the received firmware program version is compared with the installed firmware program version and the service is being provided to one or more terminals through the communication unit, the control unit stops transmission of the beacon signal, When the service provision is completed after waiting for completion, the service device is requested to update the firmware program. Otherwise, the service device can request the firmware device update at the same time that the transmission of the beacon signal is stopped.

In this case, if the control unit is not providing service to one or more terminals through the communication unit but is in a connected state, the control unit may forcibly terminate the connection with the terminal, and then request the service apparatus to update the firmware program.

In addition, when the reception of the firmware program from the service device is completed, the controller installs the received firmware program and performs a restart to check whether the firmware program normally operates. If the firmware program is normally operated, Can be deleted.

In addition, the control unit may control the communication unit to transmit the interrupted beacon signal after installing the firmware program.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a firmware update system including a service device for managing one or more beacon devices and managing a firmware program that can be provided by a beacon device; And transmits the beacon signal in a predetermined radius to the service device when the received firmware program version is compared with the installed firmware program version, And a beacon device for requesting the device to update the firmware program and controlling the received firmware program to be installed when the firmware program is received from the service device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beacon firmware update method including: querying a service program version of a firmware program by a beacon unit in a predetermined period; The beacon device receiving a firmware version from a service device; Comparing the version of the firmware program received from the service device with the firmware program version of the beacon device installed; If the comparison result shows that the firmware program version is different, stopping transmission of the beacon signal being transmitted within a certain radius of the beacon device and requesting the service device to update the firmware program; And controlling, when the beacon device receives the firmware program from the service device, to install the firmware program received from the service device.

At this time, in the step of querying the program version, if the beacon device is providing service to one or more terminals, the firmware program version is inquired to the service device at a predetermined period or longer, You can query the program version.

In the step of requesting the update, if the beacon device is providing service to one or more terminals, after the beacon signal transmission is stopped, the beacon device waits until the service provision with the corresponding terminal is completed, Requesting the firmware program update, and if not, requesting the service device to update the firmware program after stopping transmission of the beacon signal.

In addition, in the step of requesting the update, if the beacon device is in a connected state even though the beacon device is not providing service to one or more terminals, the beacon device may forcibly terminate the connection with the terminal and then request the service device to update the firmware program.

In addition, the step of controlling the firmware program to be installed includes the steps of installing a firmware program received from the service device when the beacon device completes receiving the firmware program from the service device; Performing a restart of the beacon device; Confirming whether the beacon device is operating normally in the firmware program received from the service device; And deleting the existing firmware program if the firmware program in which the beacon device is received operates normally.

In addition, the step of controlling the firmware program to be installed may further include starting the transmission of the beacon signal with the beacon device interrupted.

Further, the present invention can provide a computer readable recording medium on which a program for executing the beacon firmware updating method described above is recorded.

According to the beacon firmware updating method and the beacon device and the system of the present invention, the beacon device determines whether the firmware program needs to be updated. If it is determined that the beacon device needs to be updated, By updating the program, it becomes possible to update the firmware program of the beacon device more easily.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the beacon device is providing a service to a terminal of a specific user, it is possible to update the firmware program more efficiently by updating the firmware program after waiting for the service provided to the user terminal to be uninterrupted .

In addition, according to the present invention, when a version of a firmware program is inquired with a service device, a query period is adjusted according to the status of the beacon device, thereby enabling more efficient updating of the firmware program.

In addition, various effects other than the above-described effects can be directly or implicitly disclosed in the detailed description according to the embodiment of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a firmware update system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a beacon device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a service apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a beacon firmware update method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a data flow chart for explaining the beacon firmware update method according to an embodiment of the present invention in detail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention. This is to omit the unnecessary description so as to convey the key of the present invention more clearly without fading. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof, It is to be understood that the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Also, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements, and are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another, Not used. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, the first component may also be referred to as a second component.

In addition, when referring to an element as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it means that it can be connected or connected logically or physically. In other words, it is to be understood that although an element may be directly connected or connected to another element, there may be other elements in between, or indirectly connected or connected.

Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprising "or" having ", as used herein, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, It should be understood that the foregoing does not preclude the presence or addition of other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Now, a method for updating beacon firmware according to an embodiment of the present invention, a beacon device using the same, and a system will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the same reference numerals are used for similar functions and functions throughout the drawings, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a firmware update system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a firmware update system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a beacon device 10, a terminal 20, and a service device 30. Although not shown in the drawing, a configuration including a communication network that supports transmission / reception of information between the beacon device 10 and the terminal 20 and transmission / reception of information between the beacon device 10 and the service device 30 .

First, the beacon device 10 transmits a beacon signal using short-range wireless communication, scans the beacon signal, and provides a service designated by the connected terminal 20, The beacon device 10 is preferably capable of transmitting a beacon signal according to a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication protocol. Also, the beacon device 10 is installed in a room such as a store or the like, and can transmit a beacon signal within a certain radius of 5 cm to 49 m.

The beacon device 10 includes a firmware program for processing and managing information (e.g., advertisement, location-based service, etc.) to be served by the beacon device 10. The firmware program includes information necessary for driving the beacon device 10. In particular, the beacon device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention detects whether the firmware program is updated and, And can receive and install the updated firmware program from the service device 30 that stores and manages the firmware program.

To this end, the beacon device 10 of the present invention inquires and receives the firmware program version to the service device 30 at regular intervals, compares the received firmware program version with the installed firmware program version, The transmission of the beacon signal transmitted in the predetermined radius is stopped and the firmware device 30 is requested to update the firmware program so that when the firmware program is received from the service device 30, have.

On the other hand, the terminal 20 refers to a user apparatus that can transmit and receive various data via a communication network according to a user's operation. The terminal 20 can perform voice or data communication through a communication network. In particular, the terminal 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention can scan and receive a beacon signal transmitted from the beacon device 10 within a certain radius. At this time, the terminal 20 can extract the identification information of the beacon device 10 from the beacon signal, and can transmit the response information to the beacon device 10 using the extracted identification information. When this process is performed, the terminal 20 can be connected to the beacon device 10. Then, the terminal 20 can receive various information designated from the beacon device 10. For example, the beacon device 10 may receive coupons, discount information, etc. related to the current location from the beacon device 10, and the beacon device 10 calculates the location information of the terminal 20, Based services.

The terminal 20 of the present invention may include a browser for transmitting and receiving information, a memory for storing a program and a protocol, and a microprocessor for executing and controlling various programs. Such a terminal 20 can be implemented as a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a portable multimedia player (PMP), and an MP3 player.

The service device 30 manages the beacon device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention and stores and manages a firmware program that can be provided to the beacon device 10. [ The service device 30 can continuously update the firmware program and can manage the version of the updated firmware program.

Particularly, the service device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention receives a query of the firmware program version from the beacon device 10 in a predetermined cycle unit, and responds to the firmware program version in response to the beacon device 10 Information can be provided. In response to a request from the beacon device 10, the beacon device 10 may be provided with a firmware program.

The beacon apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention or a processor mounted on the terminal 20 and the service apparatus 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the present invention Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > In one implementation, the processor may be a single-threaded processor, and in other embodiments, the processor may be a multithreaded processor. Further, the processor is capable of processing instructions stored on a memory or storage device.

In addition, various types of communication networks can be used for the communication network according to the embodiment of the present invention.

For example, a wireless communication method such as WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi, WiBro, WiMAX, HSDPA or Ethernet, xDSL (ADSL, VDSL) , Hybrid Fiber Coaxial Cable (HFC), Fiber to the Curb (FTTC), and Fiber To The Home (FTTH). In addition to the above-described communication methods, other widely known or later-developed communication methods may be included.

Hereinafter, the main configuration and operation method of the beacon device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a beacon device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG.

1 and 2, a beacon apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and a storage unit 13.

More specifically, the communication unit 11 may include a first communication module 11a and a second communication module 11b. Here, the first communication module 11a transmits a beacon signal within a certain radius, and scans the transmitted beacon signal to transmit / receive information to / from one or more terminals 20 connected thereto. At this time, the first communication module 11a can transmit / receive information according to the Bluetooth communication protocol, and can transmit / receive information according to another communication protocol corresponding thereto. The second communication module 11b transmits and receives information to and from the service device 30. The second communication module 11b transmits and receives information according to a Wi-Fi communication protocol And may transmit and receive information according to other communication protocols corresponding thereto.

The control unit 12 performs overall control of the beacon apparatus 10 and includes at least one processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) / MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and at least one memory loading data (For example, a register and / or a RAM (Random Access Memory)) and a bus (BUS) for inputting / outputting at least one or more data to / from the processor and the memory. And may include predetermined program routines or program data that are loaded into the execution memory from a predetermined recording medium to perform the functions defined in the beacon device 10 in software and processed by the processor have. In other words, to process the firmware update method according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to determine, as a function of the control unit 12, a component that can be processed in software among the functions provided in the beacon apparatus 10.

The controller 12 of the present invention is functionally connected to at least one component provided to support a firmware update method according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, the control unit 12 is functionally connected to the communication unit 11 and the storage unit 13, and controls the flow of signals for supplying power and performing functions to the respective components.

The control unit 12 transmits a beacon signal within a predetermined radius through the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11 and is connected to the terminal 20 to which a response is transmitted, Service can be provided.

Particularly, the controller 12 according to the embodiment of the present invention can inquire and receive the firmware program version to the service device 30 through the second communication module 11b of the communication unit 11 at regular intervals. At this time, the control unit 12 is connected to one or more terminals 20 through the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11, and when the service is being provided to the terminal 20, The firmware program version may be inquired and received by the service device 30 at a predetermined period shorter than the predetermined period. In other words, when the service is being provided to the terminal 20, the control unit 12 controls the second communication module 11b that can be interlocked with the service device 30, For example, the firmware program version may be queried at intervals of three hours, or the firmware program version may be queried at intervals of less than two hours.

When the firmware program version is received from the service device 30, the control unit 12 compares the firmware program version received from the service device 30 with the firmware program 13a version installed in the storage unit 13, , It is possible to perform an update process of the firmware program.

At this time, the control unit 12 checks the status of the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11, and when the first communication module 11a is providing service to one or more terminals 20, The service device 30 can wait for the service provision with the corresponding terminal 20 to be completed and then request the firmware device 30 to update the firmware program. On the other hand, if not, the control unit 12 stops the beacon signal being transmitted within a certain radius through the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11, and at the same time requests the service device 30 to update the firmware program have.

The control unit 12 forcibly terminates the connection with the terminal 20 when it is in a connected state even though it is not providing services to one or more terminals 20 through the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11 , The service device 30 may request the firmware program update.

When the firmware program is received from the service device 30 through the second communication module 11b of the communication unit 11, the control unit 12 controls the received firmware program to be installed in the storage unit 13 do.

In other words, when the reception of the firmware program from the service device 30 is completed, the controller 12 restarts after installing the received firmware program to check whether the firmware program normally operates, If it is operated, the process of deleting the existing firmware program of the storage unit 13 may be performed.

The control unit 12 deletes the firmware program of the existing version through the process described above and installs the newly received firmware program from the service device 30 to the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11 And controls to send the stopped beacon signal.

The control unit 12 may be configured to include a service processing module 12a and an update management module 12b. The service processing module 12a can control the transmission of the beacon signal within a certain radius through the first communication module 11a of the communication unit 11. The service processing module 12a can provide the information according to the service designated by the terminal 20, Can be processed. As described above, the update management module 12b continuously inquires the version of the firmware program 13a to the service device 30, and when the version is different, the previously stored firmware program is deleted and a new firmware program It can support the installation process.

The storage unit 13 may temporarily store various data generated during execution of the application program, including an application program required for the functional operation according to the embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the storage unit 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention may store the firmware program 13a. The storage unit 13 may include a program area and a data area. The program area stores and manages the information necessary for operating the beacon device 10, for example, the firmware program 13a. The data area is an area in which data generated according to the use of the beacon device 10 is stored, for example, information on the connected terminal 20 can be stored.

The storage unit 13 may be a flash memory, a hard disk, a memory of a multimedia card micro type (e.g., SD or XD memory), a RAM, a ROM ROM), and the like.

Thus, the main components of the beacon apparatus 10 have been described with reference to FIG. However, not all of the components shown in FIG. 2 are essential components, and the beacon device 10 can be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, and the beacon device 10 ) May be implemented.

It should also be appreciated that the location of the major components of the beacon device 10 shown in FIG. 2 may be varied for convenience or for other reasons. Although the module configuring the control unit 12 shows only the service processing module 12a and the update management module 12b, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the control unit 12 may be composed of various modules performing various functions have.

Hereinafter, the main configuration and operation method of the service apparatus 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a service apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

1 and 3, a service apparatus 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a service communication unit 31, a service control unit 32, and a service storage unit 33.

To be more specific, the service communication unit 31 plays a role of supporting transmission and reception of information with one or more beacon apparatuses 10 through a communication network. In particular, the service communication unit 31 of the present invention can transmit information on the version of the firmware program at the request of the beacon unit 10, and can support the transmission of the firmware program to the beacon unit 10.

The service control unit 32 performs overall control of the service device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the service control unit 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a beacon control module 32a, And a module 32b. Here, the beacon control module 32a performs overall management of the beacon device 10, and for example, information on the newly installed beacon device 10 and the installed location is transmitted as beacon information 33a May be stored in the service storage unit (33). Further, information on which service the beacon device 10 provides may be stored and managed in the beacon information 33a.

On the other hand, the firmware management module 32b continuously updates the firmware program 33b to manage the version of the firmware program and the updated program information. The firmware management module 32b may transmit the version information of the current firmware program to the beacon unit 10 at the request of the beacon unit 10 and may transmit the version information of the current firmware program to the beacon unit 10 ) So that the beacon device 10 can update the firmware program.

The service storage unit 33 stores all programs according to the function of the service device 30. [ In particular, the service storage unit 33 according to the embodiment of the present invention may store the beacon information 33a and the firmware program 33b as described above.

The service storage unit 33 of the present invention may be a repository located in the service apparatus 30 and may be a data storage server located outside the service apparatus 30 and capable of transmitting and receiving data with the service apparatus 30 have.

The main configuration and the operation method of the service device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above.

The service device 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention has the same hardware configuration as a typical Web server or a network server. However, the software includes a program module implemented through a language such as C, C ++, Java, Visual Basic, Visual C, or the like. The service device 30 may be implemented as a web server or a network server. The web server is generally connected to an unspecified number of clients and / or other servers through an open computer network such as the Internet, And a computer software (web server program) installed for the computer system. However, in addition to the above-described web server program, it should be understood as a broad concept including a series of application programs running on the web server and various databases built up in some cases. The service device 30 uses a web server program that is variously provided according to an operating system such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, or Macintosh to general server hardware Typical examples include a Web site used in a Windows environment, an Internet Information Server (IIS), and CERN, NCSA, and APPACH used in a UNIX environment.

In addition, the service device 30 of the present invention may be implemented as one or more servers operating in a server-based computing mode or a cloud mode. In particular, the information transmitted and received through the firmware update system 100 may be provided through a cloud computing function that can be permanently stored in the cloud computing device on the Internet. Here, cloud computing utilizes Internet technology in digital terminals such as desktops, tablet computers, laptops, netbooks and smart phones to provide virtualized IT (Information Technology) resources such as hardware (server, storage, (Database, security, web server, etc.), service, data, etc. on demand. In the present invention, all information communicated between the one or more beacon devices 10 and the service device 30 is stored in the cloud computing device on the Internet and can be transmitted anywhere, anytime.

On the other hand, the memory mounted on the beacon device 10 or the terminal 20 and the service device 30 stores information in the device. In one implementation, the memory is a computer-readable medium. In one implementation, the memory may be a volatile memory unit, and in other embodiments, the memory may be a non-volatile memory unit. In one implementation, the storage device is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device may include, for example, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or any other mass storage device.

In addition, the term '~ module' used in the embodiment of the present invention means a software component, and '~ module' performs certain roles. By way of example, '~ module' may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, and processes, functions, attributes, procedures, Routines, segments of program code, drivers, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. In addition, the functions provided in the components and 'modules' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ modules' or further separated into additional components and 'modules'.

Although the present specification and drawings describe exemplary device configurations, the functional operations and subject matter implementations described herein may be embodied in other types of digital electronic circuitry, or alternatively, of the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents May be embodied in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including, or in combination with, one or more of the foregoing. Implementations of the subject matter described herein may be embodied in one or more computer program products, i. E. One for computer program instructions encoded on a program storage medium of the type for < RTI ID = 0.0 & And can be implemented as a module as described above. The computer-readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter that affects the machine readable propagation type signal, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing.

Hereinafter, a beacon firmware update method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a beacon firmware update method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the beacon device 10 of the present invention queries the service device 30 for a firmware program version in a unit of a predetermined period (S101). In response to the inquiry, the beacon device 10 receives the current firmware program version held by the service device 30 from the service device 30 (S103). Then, the beacon device 10 compares the version of the firmware program received from the service device 30 with the version of the installed firmware program (S105). If the difference is different, the beacon device 10 stops transmitting the beacon signal being transmitted within a certain radius (S109) The device 30 is requested to update the firmware program (S111).

Thereafter, the beacon device 10 receives the firmware program from the service device 30 (S113), and when the reception is completed (S115), the beacon device 10 deletes the existing firmware program and installs the received firmware program (S117), and transmits a beacon signal that has been interrupted for the firmware program update (S119).

The beacon firmware update method of the present invention will be described in more detail below.

5 is a data flow chart for explaining the beacon firmware update method according to an embodiment of the present invention in detail.

Referring to FIG. 5, the beacon device 10 may be connected to one or more terminals 20 located within a certain radius to provide a designated service (S201). The designated service may be, for example, an advertisement service which is located within a certain radius and is provided to the terminal 20 that has received the beacon signal transmitted by the beacon apparatus 10.

In this state, since the beacon device 10 currently exists in the terminal 20 connected to the beacon device 10, the beacon device 10 sets the cycle for inquiring the firmware program version to the service device 30 at a predetermined value or more (S203) The firmware program version is inquired by the service device 30 (S205). On the other hand, if the connected terminal 20 does not exist, the beacon apparatus 10 may inquire the service apparatus 30 by setting a period shorter than a predetermined value.

Thereafter, the beacon device 10 receives information on the firmware program version held by the service device 30 from the service device 30 (S207), and updates the received firmware program version and the firmware And compares the program versions (S209). If the comparison result is different, the beacon device 10 may perform an updating process of the firmware program.

At this time, the beacon device 10 determines whether the beacon device 10 is currently providing service to more than one terminal 20, and if the connection with the terminal 20 is a normal connection (S213) When the service provision is completed after the service provision is completed (S215) (S217), the transmission of the beacon signal in a certain radius is stopped (S219), and the service device 30 is requested to update the firmware program . The beacon device 10 can stop the immediately transmitting beacon signal when the currently connected terminal 20 is not present and at the same time request the firmware device program 30 to update the firmware program, The connection to the terminal 20 may be forcibly terminated and the service device 30 may be requested to update the firmware program because the connection is unstable.

Thereafter, the beacon device 10 receives the firmware program from the service device 30 (S223), and when the reception is completed (S225), the beacon device 10 installs the firmware program and performs a restart (S227).

The beacon device 10 deletes the existing firmware program (S231) if the installed firmware program operates normally (S229). If the firmware program does not operate normally, the beacon device 10 deletes the installed firmware program and maintains the existing firmware program.

Upon completion of the updating of the firmware program, the beacon device 10 transmits the interrupted beacon signal again, and controls the connection process with the terminal 20.

As described above, according to the beacon firmware updating method of the present invention, the beacon device 10 determines whether the firmware program needs to be updated. If it is determined that the beacon device 10 needs updating, By updating, it becomes possible to update the firmware program of the beacon device more easily.

According to the present invention, when the beacon device 10 is providing service to the terminal 20 of a specific user, by updating the firmware program after waiting for the service provided to the terminal 20 of the user to be uninterrupted, It is possible to update the firmware program more efficiently and to adjust the query period according to the situation of the beacon device 10, thereby enabling more efficient updating of the firmware program.

The beacon firmware update method according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

The beacon firmware update method of the present invention as described above may be provided in the form of computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data. At this time, a computer-readable medium suitable for storing computer program instructions and data includes, for example, a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) Optical media such as a DVD (Digital Video Disk), a magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk, and a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM , Random Access Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The processor and memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuits. Examples of program instructions may include machine language code such as those generated by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that may be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. Such a hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

While the specification contains a number of specific implementation details, it should be understood that they are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or claim, but rather on the description of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment of a particular invention Should be understood. Certain features described herein in the context of separate embodiments may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments, either individually or in any suitable subcombination. Further, although the features may operate in a particular combination and may be initially described as so claimed, one or more features from the claimed combination may in some cases be excluded from the combination, Or a variant of a subcombination.

Likewise, although the operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, it should be understood that such operations must be performed in that particular order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result, or that all illustrated operations should be performed. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, the separation of the various system components of the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and the described program components and systems will generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products It should be understood.

The present invention relates to a firmware update method in a beacon device, and more particularly, to a beacon device in which a beacon device determines whether an update of a firmware program is required, stops transmission of a currently transmitted beacon signal, A beacon firmware update method capable of updating a program, a beacon device using the beacon firmware update method, and a system.

According to the present invention, if the beacon device determines that an update of the firmware program is required, and stops the transmission of the currently transmitted beacon signal and updates the firmware program, it is possible to more easily transmit the beacon firmware program It is possible to update the firmware program more efficiently by updating the firmware program after waiting for the service provided to the terminal of the user to be stopped when the beacon device is providing service to the terminal of the specific user have. In addition to contributing to the development of the beacon service industry, the present invention is industrially applicable because the present invention is not only a possibility of being commercially available or operating, but also practically possible to carry out clearly.

10: Beacon device 11: Communication part 11a: First communication module
11b: second communication module 12: control unit 12a: service processing module
12b: update management module 13: storage unit 13a: firmware program
20: terminal 30: service apparatus 31: service communication unit
32: service control unit 32a: beacon control module 32b: firmware management module
33: Service storage unit 33a: Beacon information 33b: Firmware program
100: Firmware update system

Claims (15)

A communication unit that transmits a beacon signal within a predetermined radius and transmits and receives information to and from the service device; And
The firmware program version is inquired and received by the service unit through the communication unit at a predetermined cycle unit, and when the received firmware program version is compared with the installed firmware program version, the control unit controls the communication unit to transmit the beacon A control unit for stopping transmission of a signal, requesting a firmware program update from the service unit through the communication unit, and controlling the received firmware program to be installed when the firmware program is received from the service unit through the communication unit;
≪ / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
The communication unit
A first communication module for transmitting a beacon signal within a predetermined radius, scanning the transmitted beacon signal to transmit / receive information to / from one or more connected terminals; And
A second communication module for transmitting and receiving information to and from the service device;
≪ / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
If the service is being provided to one or more terminals through the communication unit, the firmware program version is inquired and received by the service apparatus over a predetermined period, and if not, the firmware program version is inquired to the service apparatus below a predetermined period To the beacon device. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
When the received firmware program version is compared with the installed firmware program version and the service is being provided to one or more terminals through the communication unit, the transmission of the beacon signal is stopped and the service provision with the terminal is completed The beacon signal is requested to the service device, and if not, the firmware device is requested to update the firmware program. Otherwise, the beacon signal is stopped and the service device is requested to update the firmware program. . 5. The method of claim 4,
The control unit
Wherein the controller is configured to forcibly terminate a connection with the terminal when the terminal is in a connected state even though the terminal is not providing service to one or more terminals through the communication unit, and then requests the service apparatus to update the firmware program. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
When the reception of the firmware program from the service device is completed, after the received firmware program is installed and restarted, it is checked whether the firmware program normally operates. If the firmware program is normally operated, the existing firmware program is deleted Characterized by a beacon device. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
And controls the communication unit to transmit the interrupted beacon signal after installing the firmware program. A service device that manages one or more beacon devices and manages a firmware program that can be provided by a beacon device; And
The method comprising the steps of: receiving a firmware program version from the service device in a predetermined cycle unit; comparing the received firmware program version with an installed firmware program version to discontinue transmission of a beacon signal being transmitted within a predetermined radius; A beacon device for requesting a firmware program update to the service device and controlling the received firmware program to be installed when the firmware program is received from the service device;
The firmware update system comprising: The beacon device querying a firmware program version to a service device on a periodic basis;
The beacon device receiving a firmware version from the service device;
Comparing the firmware program version received from the service device with the installed firmware program version;
If the firmware program version differs from the comparison result, stopping transmission of the beacon signal being transmitted within a certain radius of the beacon device and requesting the service device to update the firmware program; And
Controlling the beacon device to install a firmware program received from the service device when the beacon device receives the firmware program from the service device;
And updating the beacon firmware. 10. The method of claim 9,
In querying the program version,
If the beacon device is servicing to one or more terminals, querying the service device for a firmware program version over a predetermined period; otherwise, querying the service device for a firmware program version below a predetermined period To update the beacon firmware. 10. The method of claim 9,
The step of requesting the update
If the beacon device is providing services to one or more terminals, the beacon signal transmission is interrupted, and after the beacon device waits until the service provision with the corresponding terminal is completed, the beacon device requests the firmware device to update the firmware program If not, requesting the service device to update the firmware program after stopping transmission of the beacon signal. 12. The method of claim 11,
The step of requesting the update
If the beacon device is in a connected state even though the beacon device is not providing service to one or more terminals, forcibly terminates the connection with the terminal, and then requests the service device to update the firmware program. 10. The method of claim 9,
The step of controlling the firmware program to be installed
Installing a firmware program received from the service device when the beacon device has received the firmware program from the service device;
The beacon device performing a restart;
Confirming whether the beacon device is operating normally in the firmware program received from the service device; And
Deleting an existing firmware program if the received firmware program is operating normally;
And updating the beacon firmware. 10. The method of claim 9,
After the step of controlling the firmware program to be installed,
Initiating transmission of the beacon signal with the beacon device interrupted;
The beacon firmware update method of claim 1, further comprising: A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing the beacon firmware update method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

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